The invention relates generally to graphical block diagram modeling.
Dynamic systems may be modeled, simulated and analyzed on a computer system using graphical block diagram modeling. Graphical block diagram modeling graphically depicts mathematical relationships among a system's inputs, states and outputs, typically for display on a graphical user interface.
In a graphical block diagram model, graphical blocks describing the static or dynamic behavior of corresponding physical components are graphically connected to each other in order to simulate the aggregate behavior of the combined physical system or plant. The behavior of a physical system, which may include mechanical or electronic components, can be described in terms of numeric data stored in table (matrix) or multi-dimensional array format in computer memory. The resulting table or array is referred to as a lookup table and is well known in the art.
In the simpler two-dimensional case, lookup tables correspond to matrices studied in the field of mathematics. Each element of a matrix is a numerical quantity, which can be precisely located in terms of two indexing variables. At higher dimensions, lookup tables are represented as a collection of matrices, whose elements are described in terms of a corresponding number of indexing variables. In the area of computer programming and simulation, lookup tables provide a means to capture the behavior of a physical system. More specifically, the behavior of a system with M inputs and N outputs can be approximately described by using N M-dimensional lookup tables.
Lookup tables can be generated by experimentally collecting or artificially creating the input and output data of a system. In general, as many indexing parameters are required as the number of input variables. Each indexing parameter may range within a pre-determined number of values, which are called breakpoints. The set of all breakpoints corresponding to an indexing variable is called a grid. Hence, a system with M inputs has M grids or sets of breakpoints. For given input data, the breakpoints (in breakpoint sets corresponding to the input variables) are used to locate the array elements where the output data of the system are stored. For a system with N output data values, N array elements are located and the corresponding data are stored at these locations in a computer memory.
In prior lookup table schemes, once a lookup table is created using the system input and output data, the corresponding multi-dimensional array of values can be used in applications without the need for regenerating the system output data. Only the input data is required to locate the appropriate array elements in the lookup table, and the approximate system output data can be read from these locations. Therefore, a lookup table captures an input-output mapping of a static or dynamic system in the form of numeric data stored at pre-determined array locations.
Prior graphical block-based modeling and simulation tools, e.g., Simulink® from The MathWorks Inc, support graphical lookup table blocks that provide for such a static mapping of input-output behavior of a physical system. Because the behavior of actual physical systems can vary with time due to wear, environmental conditions, and manufacturing tolerances, however, the “static” lookup table block may not provide a valid representation of the plant characteristics at a given time.